SATELLITES

A spacecraft that travels in a steady path,
or orbit, around Earth is called a satellite. Satellites receive and send on communication and navigation signals, watch the weather, survey the land, and study space.

HOW DO SATELLITES STAY UP IN SPACE?

Satellites stay in orbit because of their speed. A satellite in orbit about
190 miles (300 km) above Earth must travel at a speed of 17,500 mph
(28,200 km/h) to stay in space. This speed is called its orbital velocity.
There are several types of SATELLITE ORBIT.

SATELLITE ORBITS

Satellites travel around Earth in elliptical (oval) orbits, over the equator, over the poles, or on paths in between.

DO SATELLITES EVER RETURN TO EARTH?

Low-flying satellites may fall back to Earth after only a few months because they pass through traces of air in the upper atmosphere, which slow them down. High-flying satellites can stay in space forever.

ORBITS

Satellites fly around Earth in different orbits. In a geostationary orbit, a satellite hovers over one fixed place as Earth rotates.